A new CARD to play in the battle against Alzheimer’s and related dementias
When I first came to NIA, I was excited to join some of the world’s greatest scientists to help foster the vital study of aging. As NIA’s scientific director, I know it takes trans-NIH and global teamwork to tackle the toughest age-related health challenges, especially Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). So, I’m thrilled for NIA to join forces with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to establish a new Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (CARD).
Collaboration, innovation, translation
CARD will be housed in newly constructed headquarters on the NIH main campus and should open by Fall 2021. The center will combine the power of NIH intramural science with the work of researchers around the globe to push boldly ahead in basic, translational and clinical AD/ADRD research. With its proximity to the NIH Clinical Center for deep phenotyping and early phase clinical trials, and to the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences for high-throughput testing capabilities, there is no better place than the NIH campus for CARD to develop and accomplish its highest potential.
CARD will emphasize teamwork, innovation, transparency, data sharing and advanced technology to speed up the translation of scientific findings into real-world applications. We plan to connect NIH intramural researchers from different disciplines with visiting extramural academic and industry scientists to better understand the mechanisms of AD/ADRD and to identify likely targets for future treatments and prevention.
A beacon for global talent
CARD aims to attract the best, brightest and most creative investigators in the field to help them power up their projects and ideas. Indeed, a core component of CARD will be to develop novel ways to solicit and test research ideas from the intramural community. CARD will offer multiple opportunities for early career researchers, including access to technology, expertise and seed funding as we seek to develop, train and diversify the research workforce.
Dr. Andrew Singleton, an NIH Distinguished Investigator who has stepped aside from his role as chief of the NIA Laboratory of Neurogenetics, will serve as CARD’s acting director during the initial implementation phase. NIA and NINDS are currently conducting a national search for the position of CARD director.
We hope you are as excited as we are about the establishment of CARD. It is exhilarating to be on the cusp of a brand-new chapter at NIH for the advancement of collaborative AD/ADRD research. Along with our partners at NINDS, we look forward to keeping you updated as the new center takes shape. If you have questions about CARD or would like to collaborate with us, please leave a comment below!
Comments
Hello -
My name is Chris Donnelly and I am a PI at the University of Pittsburgh where we study ALS/FTD and LATE AD in the context of TDP-43/FUS and RNA trafficking in disease. Just sending a message as this is very exciting news and we would be highly interested in collaborating or helping out with this initiative in any way.
Regards,
Chris Donnelly
This is exciting! We would love to collaborate. Please contact me with any potential opportunities and I will continue to follow updates.
This sounds like a great initiative. Hopefully will help developing research efforts aiming to explore pathogenic pathways which are outside the mainstream amyloid/prion hypotheses. But for real.
Being a former NIH scientist, I appreciate the strengths of NIH and would love to explore possible interactions with the CARD.
Best regards and stay safe
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